Episode 6 of “Caught in the Net” delves into the tragic disappearance of Julie Ann, aged 21. Following her disappearance, Julie’s mother, Sandra Soto, desperately tried to reach her phone; however, the texts coming back from the other end were cold and didn’t sound like Julie’s. Fearing that their daughter might be in serious danger, Sandra Soto contacts the police, seeking their help to locate her 21-year-old daughter.
Spoilers Ahead
The Search For Julie Ann
The patrol car was dispatched to Sandra’s home, and she informed the latter that Julie had been missing since Friday morning. Also, the cops revealed to her that there was another household nearby that had made a report that Julie had left and abandoned her child. The person was George DeLaCruz. Julie and Geroge met in high school, got married after graduating, and had Leia soon after. Unfortunately, over time, their love fizzled out, prompting the duo to separate. Afterward, Julie began dating Aaron, the guy she met at a local convenience store. The investigative officers contacted Julie’s friends and relatives and learned that she had been sending texts in the afternoon of Friday, March 26, before she was last seen. The texts implied that she had voluntarily left with someone named Aaron, but this made Julie’s parents suspect foul play, as there was no way Julie would ever abandon her daughter. Aaron also revealed that Julie had broken up with him on the phone before she went missing. The cops arrived at George’s house and learned that Julie had asked George to keep their daughter, Leia. The police also searched George’s house with his consent and found no signs that could raise any suspicions.
Sandra Soto found Julie’s Chevrolet Impala parked outside the mall and ran inside, hoping to find her daughter but was met with a dead end. The security footage from the store also failed to provide any useful information.
The Digital Evidence
Julie was an optimistic person, always looking for good in people and situations, and she worked tirelessly to provide a better life for her daughter. Five weeks went by without any news of Julie’s whereabouts, prompting the cops to pursue the matter as a homicide investigation. The cops brought in Julie’s boyfriend for questioning, who revealed that the responses he was getting from Julie were really cold, which was highly unlikely as his girlfriend was kind-hearted. Meanwhile, Julie’s mother was doing everything she could to salvage information that might help find her daughter. In the absence of any physical evidence, the cops called a digital forensics expert to follow the digital evidence. Digital evidence oftentimes speaks louder than words for those who cannot speak for themselves, as it tells the analysts what potentially might’ve happened. While analysing the text’s message, Jim Cook notices that language patterns have changed after her disappearance and concludes that the killer was using Julie’s phone to cover his or her tracks. The video footage from Julie’s bank revealed that George DeLaCruz had been using Julie’s credit card. After delving deeper into Julie and George’s relationship, the officer learned that the duo shared a rocky relationship, with George not being able to maturely handle being separated from his ex-wife. However, the cops needed more evidence against George.
‘Caught In The Net’ Ending – Did George DeLaCruz Really Kill Julie?
The case spanned for years and received a huge media presence; Sandra Soto even dragged George DeLaCruz to Dr. Phil’s show hoping for some answers, but it was to no avail.
However, one day the police received a call from Victoria DeLaCruz, George’s mother, informing them that she had found a giant hole under the plywood flooring. After arriving at the scene, the cops observed the measurement to be consistent with Julie’s height. This newfound information re-ignited the case, and the cops once again decided to review any digital evidence associated with George DeLaCruz. Police found out that it was George who had been posting on Julie’s myspace, using his neighbor’s wifi-connection after she went missing. Julie’s cellphone record also revealed that her phone never left Victoria’s house the day she came by to pick up her daughter Leia. Police knew George was their suspect, but it was very challenging to move forward with an arrest without any concrete evidence of Julie’s body. Fortunately, the cops managed to secure an indictment against George, and he was arrested and subjected to questioning, but the cops failed to salvage a full confession out of him. Fortunately, the digital evidence had George surrounded, even in the absence of a full confession. The jury found George DeLaCruz guilty of Julie’s murder and of misleading the evidence, and the court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. To this day, George is still adamant that he’s wrongfully committed and is still depriving Julie’s family of the closure they desperately seek.